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My World, My Life (MWML) and World Starts With Me (WSWM)

Year of Implementation: 2014

Background

Savana Signatures has been at the forefront of comprehensive sexuality education in Ghana through two pioneering programs: My World My Life (MWML) and The World Starts With Me (WSWM). Initiated in 2014, MWML was Ghana’s first comprehensive sexuality and HIV/AIDS prevention program specifically designed for upper primary students (ages 10-14), piloted across 10 schools in Tamale Metropolitan and East Mamprusi Districts. Building on MWML’s success, we later implemented WSWM – an innovative computer and paper-based curriculum reaching additional regions. Both programs address critical gaps in SRHR education that contribute to Ghana’s high rates of STIs (including HIV/AIDS, gonorrhea, and syphilis) and teenage pregnancies among adolescents.

Key Program Components

  1. Skills development (negotiation, decision-making)
  2. Contraceptive education
  3. STI/HIV prevention
  4. Gender-sensitive approaches
  5. Parent-child communication strategies

Strategy​

Our integrated approach combines institutional capacity building with community engagement:

School-Based Programs

  1. MWML: Developed a 14-lesson curriculum with teachers’ and pupils’ versions featuring interactive learning methods (games, stories, assignments)
  2. WSWM: Implemented digital and paper-based modules across 17 JHS in Northern (5 districts) and Volta (3 districts) regions
  3. Trained 38 teachers total (18 for MWML, 20 additional for WSWM) in facilitation skills
  4. Established advisory boards for program oversight

Community Mobilization

  1. Conducted sensitization workshops for 6,425 beneficiaries (students, parents, teachers)
  2. Held meetings with school heads, PTAs, SMCs, and women’s groups
  3. Organized radio discussions and community exhibitions
  4. Adapted international curricula (Ugandan MWML version) to Ghanaian context

Key Highlights

  1. Zero reported teenage pregnancies in all 27 project schools (MWML & WSWM combined)
  2. Increased assertiveness among female students in SRHR decision-making
  3. 225 MWML students demonstrated improved SRHR knowledge
  4. 100% of WSWM schools showed reduced STI risk behaviors

Educational Outcomes

  1. 95% of trained teachers confident discussing SRHR despite cultural barriers
  2. Increased student attendance in SRHR classes due to engaging methodologies
  3. Teacher adoption of MWML methods in regular curriculum
  4. Successful adaptation of international curricula to Ghanaian context

Community Transformation

  1. 6,200 direct beneficiaries reached across both program
  2. Documented attitude shifts among parents/teachers toward RHE
  3. Strong demand from stakeholders for program expansion
  4. Established sustainable school-community SRHR education models

These complementary programs demonstrate how age-appropriate, culturally-adapted reproductive health education can transform adolescent health outcomes in Ghana. Their success has created both evidence and demand for nationwide scale-up of comprehensive SRHR education.